>[!meta-dates] >- **Created:** 2025-07-26 >- **Last updated:** 2025-08-01 >- **Author:** TJ Trewin > [!info] > **This exploration is part of my fantasy worldbuilding development! Check out my latest progress on the project here:** > **[[Overview - start here]]** > > Or get your sneak peeks before anyone else by supporting me on Ko-fi: > https://ko-fi.com/tjtrewin/tiers 🥰 In my initial [[Yes-no list|yes-no list]] for my world, I decided that I'd like to explore the possibility of a non-human [[Glossary#S|sophont]], and still have interesting bladed weapons like polearms and swords less commonly depicted in fantasy settings. Given this requirement, I need to take into consideration how a being might [[Creature design - holding and using items|hold and use items]], their dexterity, and range of movements. With my [[Glossary#H|hard worldbuilding]] approach for this project, I also want to think a bit further on the implications of multiple sapient species before adding a bunch of them like I've done in previous worldbuilding projects. 😅 - - - (*WIP notes - I'll tidy these later!*) ## How did they come to be? Evolution? Created by a deity? Manifested into existence by another means? Arrival from another location or realm? I'd prefer to take the speculative evolution (spec-evo) approach because *"poofed into existence"* feels a little hand-wavium for hard worldbuilding (unless I can explain it with better feasible logic). ### Fantasy influences I could take the direct approach to spec-evo, but as I've decided in my [[Yes-no list|yes-no list]] that there's magic in the world, maybe this could have influenced the formation, development, or evolution of a sapient species. ~~I haven't defined what magic is or its limitations yet, but thinking about it at this stage might inform what it can do or how it affects other aspects of the world later own the line.~~ ==Edit:== I'm currently working out my [[Thoughts on magic|thoughts on magic]] and know that species diverge with magic infused metallic and crystalline physicalities in times of great mantle upwelling, eruptions, and formations of large igneous provinces (LIPs). I've decided against omnipotent (all-seeing, all-knowing) deities, but perhaps the existence of a sophont species was influenced by a deity, such as ensuring its survival for a particular purpose or bestowing it with features or abilities. This raises a whooole bunch of other questions though as to *what* a deity is defined as, what they can/can't do, and how *they* came to be. 😵 If I explore this route, I can figure that out afterwards though! Any rejected ideas can always be repurposed into cultural myths. If I wanted to go down the route of multiple bipedal humanoid-like animals like many other fantasy settings, I could explore how the ebb and flow of mantle upwellings cause species to change in this way. 🤔 I'm still not keen on overcomplicating things with power dynamics between multiple sophonts though. ### Features My sophont species is going to be land based and flightless, though they might not have started out that way. A form of communication is essential but I'm going to explore that after figuring out other physiological aspects first. Little to no major pre-existing body weapons or physical defences, *or* ones that aren't viable so anymore due to environmental changes (fur). Squishy sophonts need to develop and use tools & protection to survive. A sophont needs a bigger brain for sapience and will likely have a slower growth to develop this. #### Offspring growth In species that give birth, offspring will need more time developing inside in order to be born with more functions (like walking). This also requires sufficient anatomy structure to birth the size of larger offspring, especially if they have a large skull. Less time developing in a womb means more development post-birth, and more reliance on parental figures for survival. The greater the reliance, the more time and resources are needed in protecting and raising it and this often results in having fewer offspring to ensure their survival. Similarly, species that lay eggs either need to spend more time protecting large eggs, or more time raising their hatchling(s). If they're reptilian, are they warm-blooded or cold-blooded? There's also asexual reproduction to consider for either of these routes. Maybe the sophont goes through ==metamorphosis== at different stages of growth like frogs and butterflies, and does magic (or some other factor) play a role in initiating these stages, or not When do the tool-using limbs emerge in comparison to other physiological features? Does their physical sex change during this process, and how do they emotionally feel through this? These ideas intrigue me so I might explore this further. Perhaps this could be linked to volcanic activity, eruptions, or geothermal springs? If these places or events are significant in allowing sophonts to change form, that would place even *more* importance on gaining control of such places. #### Limbs My sophont needs limbs that can be used to hold, manipulate, and use tools (and therefore bladed weapons). Early thoughts here: [[Creature design - holding and using items]] This could mean using pre-existing limbs used for multiple purposes (like hands, talons, a trunk, a beak), or a specialised bodily feature solely for using tools. At surface level this seems unlikely to me, so I'll explore the former. Earth's humans typically use two hands to hold and manipulate tools, our wrists and arm joints allow us to move, extend, and rotate them with strength and dexterity. I'd like my sophont to have this range of motion, too - so that rules out things like halberd-wielding flightless birds (hah, hal*birds*, that was unintentional) using just their talons because they'd need other limbs to remain upright and move whilst holding a weapon rather than being a sitting duck (ok, that one was intentional). So - at least two limbs that can be used for holding tools, at least two more for moving around with said tool/weapon. The tool limbs could still be used for movement when not in use depending on how I want them to move, and in what types of environments (i.e. do they need to climb?). I don't mind if my sophont is bipedal and resembles a humanoid structure but I want to show that they're not just a reskinned human. My sophont is land based, so I think tentacles would be unlikely - if going down that route I'd prefer for them to have a prehensile limb like a tail or trunk, and I don't see an initial reason why a creature would need two of those. 🤔 If the sophont had more than four limbs, what would the others be used for? Extra use for tools, or for movement? They could be symmetrically placed like on insects, or central like how the [vortigaunts](https://half-life.fandom.com/wiki/Vortigaunt) from the Half-Life videogames have a third, smaller arm extending from the middle of their chest. I'd like to avoid my sophont from having mixed limb endings unless they can show similarities to explain an evolutionary change (e.g. primate vs human feet). So instead of cloven hooves for feet and hands at the end of their arms, their "hands" might be fleshy and have two broad spreading digits with thick, broad nails, and maybe a central nubby thumb more towards the wrist area. Side thought - if sophonts had hooves and were fast at running, would they still use domesticated creatures? Probably, but that's a thought for another note. Hmm. Following the hooves-to-hands thought: tapirs are odd-toed ungulates and have four toes on the front, but three on the back (capybaras too, though they're not ungulates)... something akin to a mountain goat may have developed more dextrous front hooves that became more padded with smaller nails in order to make better use of cracks for rock climbing, or become more arboreal creatures and climb trees - using the front limbs to grab branches. Oh I forgot to mention but I'd like to explore concepts that are less anthro or humanoid rather than just jumping straight to that body shape. I'm not ruling it out, but I might find something cooler first! This note is getting pretty chunky so I'm going to explore some real-world inspirations here: [[Sapient species inspirations]] ## Did humans *ever* exist? A friend in Discord posed the interesting possibility that humans, at some point of their development, could have existed but became extinct. Depending on their technological advancement and the time of present day in the world, they may have left behind ruins, items, fossils, or other traces of their existence and manipulation in the world. It's a great idea but I'm still not sure on it because that still implies that my world's development miraculously led to the same evolutionary chain for humans to form. That being said, this idea could also be applied to a different kind of extinct sapient being.